Chapter 35: Find the Deceiver Lurking Around You
I thought Fengzi had not yet awoken, and knocking on the door was just basic etiquette.
To my surprise, after knocking, a response actually came from inside.
“Come in.”
At first, I thought it was Fengzi regaining consciousness, but I quickly noticed that the voice responding was that of a man.
I hurriedly swiped the access card I had just obtained to open the door to the intensive care unit.
What greeted my eyes was somewhat blinding light and a completely white room.
Fengzi was lying on the hospital bed in the center of the room.
A man dressed in a neat uniform was standing in front of the hospital bed.
“Hello, may I ask who you are?”
I was quite surprised by the sudden appearance of the man in the intensive care unit.
Because, from the visiting log I just registered, besides myself and Tianyu, I did not see any other names.
This made me feel wary of him.
—Could it be that the man in front of me is the one who attacked Fengzi and Konagi, planning to eradicate them completely?
Thinking that this man could be the one who almost killed Konagi, I felt a surge of anger within me.
As I gradually approached the hospital bed, I noticed that Fengzi had her eyes tightly closed and had not yet regained consciousness. However, from her steady breathing and the equipment beside her, it was as Tianyu said; she was temporarily out of danger.
“Nice to meet you, Tsukimi Kanade.” The man, seeing my vigilant expression, first revealed a friendly smile and took out a pass that could verify his identity within Ark Academy.
“I am a teacher at this school.”
I suspiciously glanced at the pass he handed over, which indeed stated his identity.
Kitano Masakazu.
The portrait on the pass was of a middle-aged man wearing round glasses and sporting a middle-part haircut, looking honest and trustworthy.
I carefully compared this man’s appearance.
Jet black long hair, skin as white as fat, exquisitely refined features like a doll, and a slender, sharp figure.
His appearance was “consistent.”
I could not find anything amiss.
“Why is a teacher here?” Even though his identity matched, I did not relax my guard.
“Actually, I’m the advisor of the dormitory where Nishikawa used to stay.” Kitano Masakazu explained. “I heard that Nishikawa has had an accident, so the school arranged for me to come over as soon as possible.”
“Dormitory advisor?” I questioned suspiciously.
“Tsukimi Kanade, didn’t you know? Every dormitory in Ark Academy must have a teacher as an advisor, especially since the situation here is special. If there are only students with supernatural abilities in a dormitory, I believe the school wouldn’t feel at ease, right?”
As he spoke, Kitano took out a document stamped by the headmaster.
“You’re quite cautious, Tsukimi Kanade; I don’t dislike that at all.”
Kitano Masakazu’s reasonable statements, sincere tone, and various pieces of evidence dispelled my doubts.
However, this also piqued another curiosity in me.
If he was only here to visit Fengzi, why would there be a special document from the headmaster?
“Tsukimi Kanade, your intuition is very keen.” Kitano seemed to see through my expression and made a “let’s talk privately” gesture.
After I followed “Kitano Masakazu” out of the intensive care unit.
The camera in the corner of the room lit up again, indicating it was operational.
—————–
Zone Zero.
Konagi was led inside by several staff members dispatched from Ark Academy.
Most of these people were teachers from Ark Academy or researchers who had been working in Zone Zero.
If we were to differentiate them, the researchers wore doctor-like white coats, while the teachers had no particular dress code. Some were in muddy sports uniforms from a physical education club, while others were wearing thin jackets over competitive swimsuits, clearly drenched, suggesting they had been urgently summoned.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” One of the researchers in a white coat comforted Konagi after seeing her look surprised and distracted.
This situation happens quite often.
Especially for students who know they have gained supernatural powers, being brought to such a mysterious area and confronted by a group of people in white coats, many would assume they were about to undergo research.
They have seen many students cry out loud or even lash out in panic.
That’s why teachers were urgently called in.
When facing emotionally unstable students, it at least helps to have these teachers, who also possess supernatural abilities, to keep them under control.
In fact, they had long suggested replacing the unsettling white coats, but the situation had not improved.
In frustration,
Now, every time they came out to greet students, they wore friendly smiles in an attempt to alleviate the anxiety of students who had just awakened their abilities.
Students like Konagi, who was merely a little distracted and not shouting, could be considered to have quite a good psychological quality.
But what these researchers didn’t know was that the expressions on their faces, rather than being friendly, resembled the delight of seeing new experimental subjects.
This made Konagi twitch her lips in response.
Having witnessed this strange “ritual” many times, Tianyu could only sigh helplessly.
To soothe students undergoing comprehensive examinations, Ark Academy allows one student to accompany them.
Thus, Tianyu volunteered to go along with Konagi into the depths of Zone Zero.
Along the way,
A teacher in sportswear leaned in towards Tianyu with a bored demeanor—
“Aren’t you from Tenjōin? Aren’t you a bit free today to accompany someone for an exam?” The teacher said in a tone that seemed casual but had a hint of sarcasm.
Tianyu, seemingly accustomed to this attitude, could only respond politely and gently, “Yes, Maria-sensei.”
Regarding Tianyu’s impeccable etiquette.
[Former ACE Blood Crow] Maria looked away with an air of disinterest.
Every time she ridiculed the noble lady before her, hoping to elicit an interesting reaction, she would be disappointed by the other party’s lukewarm responses.
With no choice,
Maria shifted her attention to the black-haired girl walking ahead, who was chatting and laughing with other teachers and researchers from Zone Zero.
The girl’s delicate and youthful face made Maria initially think she was the kind of girl who would scream in a crisis, but unexpectedly, her reaction just now was the calmest among recent students.
Plus, her relationship with Tianyu from Tenjōin did not seem uncomplicated.
This aroused Maria’s strong curiosity.
Especially—
“What on earth does that child eat to have such a good figure?”
